FIFA 13 iOS will have competitive online multiplayer

When I played FIFA 12 for iOS last year, I found myself rather surprised by how nicely the experience transferred onto mobile devices. It obviously found success, as the team is being even more ambitious with FIFA 13 for iOS by offering competitive online multiplayer for the first time.

A good sports game should be a good solo experience, but I feel the bread and butter of sports titles is going head-to-head with friends (and sometimes strangers). After all, you can only beat up on the same AI controlled facsimiles of teams you dislike for so long without the game starting to dull as your thirst for more personal conquest.

EA Sports isn’t stopping there, however. Mobile graphics have come a long way in the past year, and FIFA 13 iOS reflects that shift with radically improved visuals, including better facial animations and more realistically rendered stadiums. Even while it was being demoed on a massive projection screen -- that is, scaled up hundreds of times bigger than what the average person will be playing it at -- the graphics looked solid and the game played fluidly (while playing in an online match, no less.)

Also new to the title is an offensive skill move button, for more easily executable feints, step overs and signature moves; a defensive button for calling your teammate AI over to help defend an opposing player; the ability to shift to defensive, offensive, and natural tactics without pausing the game, and more. There's a feature to upload replays directly to YouTube now too.

FIFA 13 for iOS looks like it could be a nice surprise for fútbol fans late next month.